Omneon, Pro-Bel Support Digital Upgrade at DINFOS

January 5, 2007

Defense Information School (DINFOS), which trains U.S. armed services personnel in broadcasting technologies, has selected Omneon Video Networks and Pro-Bel Systems to upgrade its Fort Meade, Md. studios to digital. The upgrade will include a 12-channel redundant Omneon Spectrum media server along with Pro-Bel routers and router control.

The Omneon server system is replacing VTR systems used in the DINFOS production studios, which include five TV studios and 14 radio studios. DINFOS has 135 Avid edit seats linked on one network, and the Omneon system will interface with these editors via a 10 GB Ethernet backbone. Instructors overseeing the studios will have the ability to re-wrap the edited product and move it onto the Omneon server system for storage.

Pro-Bel has supplied two 256x256 Sirius routers, including a video router configured for 112x112 SD and 16x16 NTSC and an audio router configured for 128x128 AES, as well as Aurora router control and PC-based router access. The Omneon Spectrum server system was commissioned in October, and will be wired with the Pro-Bel routers and fully integrated into each new training studio as it comes online.

"The upgrade to digital broadcast studios at DINFOS allows for more flexible storage and production capability, and as the facility continues to expand its operations, their Omneon and Pro-Bel systems will enable a straightforward transition into HD production," said Geoff Stedman, vice president of worldwide marketing for Omneon.